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North County Transit District officials say a former employee knew early on about the brake problems that have idled the $477 million Sprinter light-rail line and did not communicate them up the chain of command.

That chain of command was in nearly constant flux, according to transit district records obtained by U-T Watchdog.

The operations division that former transit employee Richard Berk worked for underwent at least four reorganizations in three years. During that time, Berk had three supervisors, only one of whom remains with the district.

The structural changes have been caused in part by the economy and also stemmed from the agency’s decision to outsource all of its operations and maintenance functions to private contractors in 2009. Maintenance for the Sprinter was outsourced from its inception in 2008.

Of the 25 managers and executives in place before the changeover, five remain on staff and 20 have been replaced. Several positions have turned over three times.

District officials say the fluctuations — expected and appropriate, given the new business model — had nothing to do with the communication problems regarding Sprinter brake maintenance.

“The organizational improvements were focused on improving efficiency, revenues, accountability and oversight across the agency,” spokeswoman Deborah Castillo said. “There was no activity that was undertaken that was related to the Sprinter shutdown. To suggest that is grossly inaccurate and cannot be factually substantiated.”

The Sprinter closed down March 9, as NCTD was preparing to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the service. Officials cited uneven brake rotor wear, and replacement parts from Europe may take months to arrive.

Officials say Berk knew of the problems for at least 18 months without telling his supervisors. Berk said earlier this month that he informed each of his three superiors of the issues with the brakes, although he acknowledged that he failed to do so in writing.

The management changes may not excuse or explain the miscommunication, but experts say they do paint a picture of an organization that is struggling to function normally.

Berk’s first supervisor when he was at the district was Walt Stringer, the manager of light rail services. After a December 2010 reorganization, Berk was supervised by Lane Fernandes, the manager of rail services. Berk finally answered to Deputy Chief Operating Officer Michael Wygant, after a late-2012 reorganization in which his position was rolled into bus operations.

Fernandes and Stringer are no longer employed by the district.

In the years after 2009, Berk said, there was seemingly one reorganization after another, often leaving employees confused and frustrated.

“From my perspective, it wasn’t a very functional organization,” he said. “The organization was in continuous change, for what reason I don’t know. It was not a failing organization in 2008, but for some reason it went through some wrenching changes.”

Castillo said the recession, which financially racked the district, forced the agency to make “draconian cuts to staffing just for survival,” and prompted temporary consolidation of positions and departments.

She said upon its stabilization through the privatization overhaul, the district began to reverse some of these cuts and restructured itself to accommodate its new business model.

“We have been assessing essential reporting relationships and the staff skill sets needed for these functions,” Castillo said. “This has necessitated a gradual series of organizational adjustments as functions are re-established and realigned, and as new staff with specialized skills are brought on to manage these functions.”

A number of public transit agencies have privatized part or all of their operations in recent years in an effort to cut costs.

Most recently, Capital Metro — the regional transit provider for Austin, Texas — in August outsourced its operations and maintenance to several companies, including First Transit and Veolia, both of which have contracts with North County.

Capital officials said they created one new division to administer contract services before privatization was finalized, and have not had any major reorganizations since. Employee retention, officials said, has hovered around 80 percent.

“While we did have some turnover, we made a specific emphasis on trying to retain all of our employees,” said Erica Macioge, spokeswoman for Capital Metro.

Public and private entities will periodically reorganize their structure as their objectives change, said Catherine Burke, an associate professor of public administration at the University of Southern California. Her expertise includes management, organization systems and public transportation.

Burke said the multiple reorganizations at North County Transit are unique.

“I’ve never heard of that,” she said. “How you structure your organization is not rocket science; it’s ultimately about achieving your goal. What it suggests is an organization is lacking an objective or (management) doesn’t know what they are doing.”

Glen Sparrow, a retired San Diego State University public administration professor, echoed Burke’s comments.

“It seems to me that you should be able to get it (the organizational structure) right faster than that,” Sparrow said.

On a going forward basis, the agency said a consultant has been hired to update its fleet management plans.